Last Monster Standing!
by Admiral
Summary: Which monster rules? Which monster blows? They settle it right here and now! Bring on da reviews!
1. Part One

**Disclaimers:** Gojira and all related characters TM and ©2001 Toho Productions, LTD. Some characters ©1998 Sony Pictures Studios. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author.

**Author's Notes: **To avoid confusion the original Godzilla will be referred to by his proper name, Gojira; Forgive me if it wrecks the story for you but I'm going to try to write out the two monsters' roars (y'know, instead of the usual "he roared" dialogue).

**Author's Commentary:** I liked Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's _Godzilla_! There! I said it! Nyah nyah! In fact, I'll reiterate! I _loved_ the Sony _Godzilla_!! The effects were great! The action was great! The story was great (and contrary to popular belief, stuck closer to the original story than _EVERY_ OTHER SEQUEL!!)! The purpose of this story is simple: My guy versus everybody else's guy (you know, the clod in the rubber suit). I guarantee the best lizard will win!

* * *

_**Godzilla: LAST MONSTER STANDING!**_

_**by Darrin A. Colbourne**_

They were the finest ships in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Designed to incorporate the American Aegis Fire Control System and armed with the latest anti-ship and anti-air weapons, the five destroyers of the _Kongo_ class represented one of the finest task forces in the world. Now, the ships were the lead elements in the defense of the city of Tokyo against the greatest threat Japan had ever known.

The other elements were moving into place. Four of the JMSDF's conventionally-powered attack submarines were taking flanking positions around the target and coming up to periscope depth. Meanwhile, ten F-4EJ Phantom aircraft came screaming over the mainland and out over the water. Their weapons were already armed and waiting to be launched.

The attack was being coordinated by the Air Defense Force's AWACS 767 aircraft and was exquisitely timed. The controller aboard watched all the pieces of the complex puzzle fall into place, and at just the right moment said into his radio: "Now, now, now!"

The airplanes launched, the ships launched and the submarines launched, and soon the air was filled with white blurs riding streaks of fire. The combined force had managed to launch fifty-six Harpoon missiles in perfect synch, and over twenty-two thousand pounds of high-explosive was now hurtling toward the target. It simply continued on, oblivious to the massive threat.

All the missiles struck home, creating a thunderous racket that shattered windows and rattled teeth as it deafened anyone close by. For a moment the massive assault seemed to have worked. The target had halted its advance, and was completely obscured by fire and smoke. The commanders of the force held their breath, hoping to have at least staggered the juggernaut with their blows. All was quiet in Tokyo Bay for the briefest of moments...

_"YAAH_RRRRAARRRRNGH!"

The sound and the ambling forward motion of the shadowy figure emerging from the smoke clouds could only indicate one thing: The target wasn't impressed.

As its field of vision cleared it eyed the source of this latest assault upon its person. Tall enough to stand on the floor of the bay and still be only waist deep, the towering, scaly form advanced on the destroyers step by earth-shattering step. The ships tried to back off, but were too close to the shallow part of the bay. The submarines escaped underwater into the Pacific, while the aircraft retreated to their base to rearm.

That left the task force alone as its would be victim reached point blank range. Lookouts on the bridge wings noticed the way the invader's back spines glowed, and the more knowledgeable dove for the water as the creature inhaled sharply.

Its exhale shot a white-hot jet of flame at _Kongo_ that melted the hull of the ship in its path. The blast penetrated all the way to the destroyer's diesel fuel tanks, and the resultant explosion sent pieces of the ship into the stratosphere. The monster repeated the action four more times, destroying the cream of the Japanese fleet.

"HRRRRRAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNGH!" It roared into the city, announcing its arrival. In seconds its feet would be on dry land, bringing terror to a city that had endured such woe many times before.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. It looked around and sniffed the air, then looked out to sea. "Hrrr..." it snorted, bewildered. Then it seemed to make a decision.

In the city, the few people left behind after the evacuation watched the monster in amazement. A reporter on scene narrated what they saw into a tape recorder for use in the story he was about to file. "...then, with inches to go before he reached land, the monster dubbed Gojira turned back into the bay. His steps took him farther away until he ducked out of sight beneath the waves, presumably to make underwater passage into the Sea of Japan. Thus was the city saved, not by the weapons of the military, but by the monster's apparent show of mercy-or his distraction by something that he considered more important."

* * *

"Damn, damn, _damn_!" Colonel Hicks grunted. The look on his face told the whole story. _I never should have listened to them_, he thought,_ I should have killed the sucker when I had the chance!_ "Any change in the target's course?" He said into his headset mike.

"No change." A voice answered back. "_Columbia_ reports that they still have the target on course 350, speed sixty knots. Wait one...okay, he just passed one of our sonobuoy lines."

Hicks grimaced. He was in his C-130 flying command post 10,000 thousand feet above the North Atlantic. 5,000 feet lower and fifty miles away was the Navy P-3 Orion sea control aircraft he was talking to. It was laying patterns of sonobuoys in the water, trying to keep track of an elusive target. Nearby, below the surface, the Los Angeles (Improved) class submarine _Columbia_ was running its reactor and engine flat out, working in vain to keep up with its quarry.

And a mile ahead of the sub, a giant, streamlined figure coursed through the water, tail whipping it through the deep. It sailed on silently, relentlessly, tracing the currents of the ocean back to its birthplace.

Godzilla was heading home.

"How did I ever let you two talk me into this?!" Hicks said, glaring at the two scientists that were causing all his problems.

Drs. Nico Tatopolous and Elsie Chapman looked at each other sheepishly before Tatopolous answered. "Colonel, we needed to study it, observe its growth rate, the development of all its abilities, the effects of mutation on his generation-if something like this could happen once, and if the lifeform that results can breed, we may be in for an evolutionary upheaval. Can you imagine the variety of mutations we could be facing if _every_ species in the same area that Godzilla's forebears came from were affected in the same way?"

"Besides," Chapman put in, "even if Godzilla is one of a kind we'd have to know how he got that way, so we could _prevent_ the same thing happening to another species."

"Yeah, sure." Hicks chuckled, shaking his head. He'd always assumed they just didn't have the heart to kill it. Sgt. O'Neill and his men had discovered the Baby Godzilla while doing a Bomb Damage Assessment of Madison Square Garden. Instead of trying to kill it, Tatopolous and Chapman had convinced Hicks to try and contain it. Luring it to an evacuated container ship in New York Harbor had proved to be a comedy of errors, but it had been managed, and the young beast was taken to a secluded island where it could grow and develop naturally. It had only taken a few months for the monster to grow to its full adult size, but it seemed content to stay on and near the island under the watchful eye of the strange, small lifeforms that it didn't know had been responsible for the death of its parent and siblings.

That was until two days ago, when Godzilla suddenly dove into the sea and started making a beeline for Manhattan. Something had happened to draw the monster back to what it instinctively considered its territory, and nothing would draw it off or stop it. The Mayor of New York had been notified, and after complaining "We just got started rebuilding the Goddamned Chrysler Building!", began making plans to evacuate.

Hicks checked his watch and did the math in his head. They'd never finish before Godzilla made landfall. "Well, Mr. And Mrs. Science, your pet project is about to tear up Manhattan-_again_-and I'm the lucky sonuvabitch that has to find a way to stop him-_again!_"

Tatopolous and Chapman stayed quiet as a sergeant came over and handed Hicks a phone. "For you, Sir." He said. "Says he's with the Japanese Defense Forces."

"The JDF? What do they want?" Hicks took the phone. "Who is this?"

* * *

Thousands of miles away, in another C-130 heading across the Pacific, a Japanese officer answered: "This is Colonel Ichiburo Koza of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. I was told that Colonel Hicks was who I should speak to. Are you Col. Hicks?"

"Yeah, but I'm a little busy right now!"

"You'll be a lot busier soon. I think we should talk."

"Listen, it can't be a bigger problem than the one I've got right now!"

Koza chuckled. "So you'd think, Colonel. But you'd be wrong." He checked the monitor nearby. It was showing a live feed from an optical sensor mounted on an E-2C sea control aircraft. The camera was looking down, keeping pace with a massive shadow just beneath the waves that glided through the water like a giant duck. That duck, Gojira, let nothing stand in its way as it pressed ever onward.

* * *

After a few hours and a long conversation with Colonel Koza, Hicks decided he couldn't let Godzilla reach New York, and Tatopolous and Chapman agreed once he explained the situation. All of them understood the implications if the monster reached its goal.

"Orion 53," Hicks said into the radio, "are you still tracking the target?"

"Yes, Sir." The Orion called back. "Target is still headed 350, speed now 65 knots."

"Take the target, 53!"

A pause. "Aye, Sir!"

The commander of the Orion and the commander of the _Columbia_ conferred on how to attack. Neither was in a perfect position for an intercept alone. The sub wasn't moving fast enough to get into firing position before the monster reached shore, while the Orion didn't have powerful enough weapons. They decided the Orion would herd Godzilla back to the sub.

The plane sped into position and dropped one of its Mark 46 torpedoes. It descended into the water and went deep, heading straight for Godzilla. The monster turned, as the plane crew hoped, and slowed enough for the sub to gain on him a little. Godzilla swum around in circles and spirals, trying to shake his little pursuer. The Orion dropped its other torpedo, just to make things a little hotter, and the giant lizard finally settled on a course--away from Manhattan.

* * *

"Aspect change on target!" The sonar operator called out. "Now heading 175, speed 70 knots, range 9.5 miles and closing. Torpedoes inbound, locked on the target."

"It's working." The XO said.

"Is that a good thing?" The commander wondered out loud. The last time Godzilla swam toward a sub with two torpedoes on his tail..."Flood tubes 1 and 4 and open the outer doors! Let's get those firing solutions working right now!"

* * *

The monster sailed right on, keeping ahead of the torpedoes and powering right on toward the submarine. He didn't know what the two little things were, but he could sense that they were dangerous, so he decided to lead them back to the big thing that had been following him home. Then bubbles came from the big thing, and two more little pursuers came out of it. The little things were attacking front and back now, and coming on fast. Every now and then his hypersensitive hearing would pick up their high-pitched screams. So they hunted with sound, eh?

He could deal with that.

"All fish closing." The fire control officer said. "Impact in thirty seconds!"

"Aspect change on target!" A sonarman called out. "Target going deep, new course 160!"

_What?_ "Are the torpedoes still with him?" The commander said.

"Torpedoes still locked on." The fire control officer said. The two Mk46s from the plane and the two Mk48s from the sub were following the monster into the deep.

Godzilla charged straight down, head for the sandy, marshy bottom of the Atlantic, until he decided he was just deep enough. He sucked in a rush of oxygen-rich water.

_"HHHRRROOOAAARRRRR!!!"_ His roar echoed through the sea, loud enough to kick up a cloud of silt and almost deafen the sonar operators and, most importantly, created enough reverb and debris to fool the torpedoes into thinking they had solid targets. Their proximity fuses detonated, setting off their warheads and roiling the water with the explosions.

The sonar picture was a mess. _Columbia_ slowed to a halt so that the sonarmen could get their bearings again, while the P-3 veered off to lay a new pattern of sonobuoys. Before they could get themselves back into the hunt, Godzilla had slipped away along the ocean floor, unharmed.

* * *

A major weather front had hit Southeastern New York a few days before, dousing the Empire State in a constant deluge of rain. Severe thunder and lightning had accompanied the downpour, making conditions for the evacuation tumultuous to say the least.

Yet Manhattanites did evacuate, again. At least they were somewhat in advance of the threat this time, though that was small comfort to those evacuees jammed onto the bridges and into the tunnels out of the city. The bridges were worse, because they left everyone exposed to the elements, and many of the evacuees were on feet. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, even more screaming, and not a few threats to find the dumbass that managed to pull this practical joke twice and cut his balls off.

The people on the Queensboro Bridge would soon be convinced of the reality of the danger, as those on Eastbound side stared wide-eyed at the large swell of water slowly advancing up the East River. The swell sprouted large, bony fins as it got closer to shore, and a general panic ensued as more of the body emerged from the water. A massive, wet, scaly figure made landfall with a thud, slamming a three-toed pit into the surface of the FDR Drive, and announced its presence to all within earshot:

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH_RRRRRRRRRRRRRAARRNNGGH!!!"

Godzilla was back!

* * *

"Where is he now?" Colonel Hicks' voice called over the radio.

"He's crossing Panama right now." Koza said, wincing as he watched from a nearby Land Cruiser. Gojira wasn't so much crossing Panama as going through it, blasting and tearing his way through the Canal. It was being rendered useless, and its loss would affect shipping and economies from all over the world. The JSDF was working in conjunction with Panamanian armed forces, but combined attacks by F-15J ground attack jets and Army rocket artillery did little more than annoy the creature. "And yours?"

"Believe it or not, he's just been sitting on the end of the bridge all this time, as if he's waiting for something." Hicks said.

"We both know what he's waiting for." Koza said, as he watched Gojira decimate an artillery emplacement with a fire blast.

"Well, at least it's given us time to deploy. I've got a National Guard Unit on its way and will have an Armored Cavalry Regiment moving within the hour, as well as a squadron of Marine aircraft from Cherry Point."

"It won't be enough." The woman sitting next to Koza in the Land Cruiser said. Dr. Kimiko Takashima was the leading researcher on the Gojira Project at Tokyo University. She was acting as Koza's science advisor. She was transfixed by the scene as the monster wreaked havoc on the Central American country. "He's planning to battle the wrong target."

* * *

Nick Tatopolous was telling Hicks much the same thing. "Colonel, I really think you're going about this the wrong way."

"Don't worry, Nick. We know where all the mistakes were made the last time. Once we get our forces in place that thing is toast."

"But we may end up facing a bigger threat afterwards. Killing Godzilla won't necessarily stop Gojira from coming, and even if it does that still leaves a big monster running amok in the world, one that seems even less vulnerable to your weapons than the one we're facing now."

"So what are you suggesting?"

* * *

"You think we should let him reach you?!" Koza said.

"That's what my people think. The idea is to let them duke it out, then take out the winner."

The JSDF Colonel was incredulous. He watched as Gojira battered his way through the last lock, then tried to recall the file he read on the monster the Americans called "Godzilla".

"Are they crazy?" He asked Takashima.

"Maybe not." She said. "Even if the plan fails, the United States has more space and resources to devote to a battle against two monsters, but their current plans will guarantee failure. They may actually kill Godzilla, but they'd never be able to amass enough resources in time to defend against Gojira when he arrives, and if killing Godzilla makes Gojira back off, there's _nothing_ to stop him from returning to Japan and finishing what he started days ago. But if we let them fight, then they do most of our work for us. If Godzilla wins, he's easier to kill. If Gojira wins, he may be so weakened from the battle that our combined forces can drive him back into the sea."

"But the battle will level New York!"

"To be blunt, Colonel, better New York than Tokyo, and the Americans seem willing to risk it."

_"YAAAHHH_HHHRRRRAARRARAAARRRNGH!!" Gojira's roar drew their attention. The monster was through the Canal and was wading out into the Atlantic.

Koza sighed. "It's not like we could have stopped him anyway."

* * *

"I hope you know what you're doing, Tatopolous." Hicks said, after he finished his conversation with Koza.

"Right now Godzilla's not a threat," Tatopolous said, "and he may be the best weapon we have to use against Gojira when he shows up."

"Nick's right, Colonel." Chapman said. "We've just got to have faith that Godzilla will come through for us."

* * *

For the most part, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the New York National Guard 53rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade managed to deploy without attracting Godzilla's attention. The ACR's air units and the Marine Squadron weren't quite so lucky, but had yet to provoke the monster to act. The ACR Apache helicopters, armed with Hellfire anti-armor missiles and 30mm rockets, kept close watch on the monster at low altitudes, while the Harriers the Marine Corps had deployed watched from on high. The VTOL planes were much more useful than the F-18s that had killed the first Godzilla, since they could be used in the urban warfare that monster fighting turned out to be.

Yet they had little to do but watch, for hours on end, as Godzilla lay prone on the 59th Street entrance to the bridge, sleeping with his eyes half open, waiting for what the soldiers had heard was an even bigger monster. They sincerely hoped that one never showed up.

Their hopes were dashed when they noticed Godzilla's head spring up and look south. The monster immediately got up and walked onto the bridge, straining the structure with every thunderous step. He stopped at the first support and perched it, then again turned his attention to the Atlantic.

* * *

"Holy shit!" The Marine Pilot said as his Harrier dipped low over the water. He was trying to get a better look at the dark shape rising from the ocean. It was only a head and shoulders, but it looked like the tip of a really big iceberg.

"Second Target Sighted!" The pilot reported over the radio. "Target partially surfaced and heading north in the East River."

Hicks was now in his command track and en route to his previous command post on the Jersey Shore. "Track it, but do not engage." Hicks said. "Let it get where it's going."

"Aye, aye...hey, those things on his back are glowing--"

Hicks growled when static replaced the voice on the line. "All units, This is Command. Prepare to observe and track Targets One and Two but do not, repeat, _do not_ engage or provoke them!" He then switched channels. "Koza, where are you?"

* * *

"We're just descending into Newark right now." Koza said. His C-130 had tracked Gojira all the way from Panama, making sure he wouldn't stray from his destination. "I have a squadron of F-15s en route to operate with your Marines, and I'll be at your command post as soon as we touch down!"

* * *

Gojira shrugged his way through the ruined span of the Brooklyn Bridge and pressed on, seeing and sensing his quarry further up the river. This was what had brought him all the way from his home waters, this flea, this gnat, this annoyance that would dare confront the King of the Monsters.

Godzilla watched as the other monster ducked under the Williamsburg Bridge and came on, and had only one thought on his mind: _Big, dumb, seafood_.

Gojira was half out of the water by the time he was close to the Queensboro Bridge. Godzilla stood as high as he could without falling from his perch. The two monsters stood still when they were a mere hundred meters from each other. They scrutinized each other, each examining every inch of his opponent. Then, they both took a deep breath.

_**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH**_**HHHHHHHHRRRR RRRRRAAAAAARRRRRRRNNNNNGGH!!!!"** Their combined roar rattled windows for a mile! The challenges had been issued! Gojira lunged in and slammed his fist onto the bridge, shattering the span and tossing abandoned vehicles into the air. Godzilla leaped from the top just as the support teetered down, landing with a thud on Manhattan Island before the Eastern end of the bridge collapsed.

_The battle was on!_


	2. Part Two

**Disclaimers:** Gojira and all related characters TM and ©2001 Toho Productions, LTD. Some characters ©1998 Sony Pictures Studios. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author.

* * *

_**Godzilla: LAST MONSTER STANDING!**_

_**(Part 2)**_

_**by Darrin A. Colbourne**_

Colonel Koza was heading for the airplane door before the C-130 came to a full stop, with Dr. Takashima in tow. The plane crew got the side door open in record time while the loadmaster prepared to offload the command vehicles. When the Japanese Self-Defense Force officer got out on the tarmac he was surprised by the misting rain that was soaking it. There was another surprise as well. An American Army sergeant was waiting for him. The soldier saluted and asked, "Are you Colonel Koza?"

"Yes I am." The colonel said.

"Sergeant O'Neill, Sir." The sergeant said. "I have a helo waiting. Colonel Hicks wanted me to bring you to the command center ASAP."

Koza nodded, then turned back to the plane. He shouted some orders in Japanese to the plane crew, then turned back to O'Neill. "They will be along presently with my command vehicles."

"We've saved some space for them, and we're cleared to give any assistance we can." O'Neill said.

"As are we. It looks like we're in this together, Sergeant. Shall we go?"

"Is she with you?" O'Neill asked, indicating Takashima.

"She's our leading expert on Gojira." Koza said.

"We'll need her." O'Neill said as he led the way to the waiting Army Blackhawk. "From what I hear this new monster looks like Godzilla's really pissed-off big brother."

* * *

"What do you make of that thing, Elsie?" Hicks said. They had a live video feed of the area of the Queensboro Bridge being broadcast by a National Guard Kiowa scout helicopter. They all recognized Godzilla, but the other thing climbing out of the water to confront him was like nothing they'd ever seen before.

"I don't know what to make of it." The paleontologist said. "It's not a dinosaur, it's more like...I dunno, like somebody tried to make a dinosaur and lost the plans. Its arms are Tyrannosaur-like, but it's feet are elephantine, with practically no articulation in the toes. Its skin is loose, like it has a lot of blubber between it and the muscles. It even has a pot belly! There are back spines like Godzilla's, but they're moving almost independently, as if there's no connection between them and the rest of the skeleton. I can't explain it. It makes me think of what Barney might look like if he were caught in a forest fire...that's it! It looks like a really big guy in an ill-fitting rubber suit!"

Both Hicks and Tatopolous looked at her as if she were nuts, then looked back at the screen. "Didn't O'Neill say Koza was bringing an expert with him?" Tatopolous asked.

"Well, it _does_!" Chapman said.

* * *

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH_HHRRRRRAAARRRNNNGH!!" Godzilla roared at the giant stranger advancing on him. It was rare when the giant lizard had to look _up_ at anything, or feel the ground shake beneath his feet, but the stranger was a third taller and a lot heavier than Godzilla, so for him it was a day for new experiences. That didn't mean he would give up his birthplace without a fight. He faced the other monster in a crouched stance, foreclaws extended, teeth bared. His neck snapped forward every now and then, ending with the snapping shut of his jaws, just to show the big thing what it was letting itself in for.

Gojira, as usual, wasn't worried. As he lumbered onto dry land he allowed his senses to take in this new foe and the new city they were contending in, and decided he wanted to stay for a while. He would stomp this small creature, then show the little things that infested every city he'd ever seen that this place, like all the others, now belonged to him._"YAAAAH_HHRRRNGH!" He roared back as he trudged down 59th Street, shrugging aside pieces of buildings along the way.

Twelve Harriers and ten Apaches hovered around the two monsters, ready to strike with Hellfires and Mavericks in case the two monsters decided to team up after all and rampage through the city. The troops on the ground had to constantly move their infantry fighting vehicles to keep a safe distance and still maintain a close watch. They were in awe at how much destruction was caused just from the creatures walking. Godzilla left footprint pits and tail slashes in buildings along his path, but Gojira's steps crushed the street to dust!

Godzilla got tired of waiting. With a shrill hiss he raced at Gojira, ready to snap his jaws around the giant's neck, but Gojira backhanded the lizard, sending him flying through two blocks of buildings. Godzilla rolled to his feet as Gojira followed him through the rubble. _"YYAAAAAAAAGH!"_ Godzilla screeched as he launched himself at his adversary with a bounding leap.

_"YAAAHH!"_ Gojira barked as he caught Godzilla in mid-air and swung him down through more rubble. Godzilla hit paydirt with the force of a falling jumbo jet. Gojira didn't let go. Using both hands he flung Godzilla through more buildings, then slammed him into the street again. He let go just long enough to raise his foot to crush Godzilla's skull.

It was also just long enough for Godzilla to recover. He rolled away, then stretched out and caught the raised foot in his fangs. _"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRNGH!"_ Gojira screeched from the pain, and shook and stomped the foot to shake Godzilla off of it, but the lizard's jaws had a firm grip and wouldn't let go. Gojira pounded Godzilla with his fists, making his opponent wail with his mouth full, but still he held on. Finally, Gojira fell over and rolled, using the moment to wrench himself free. He got back on his feet just a second before Godzilla, which was just enough time to slam the smaller monster back down with his tail.

* * *

Hicks's attention was riveted to the monitors when Koza and Takashima came in, but Tatopolous turned to see the Japanese Colonel and his attractive civilian companion. He got Hicks and Chapman's attention, and introductions were made all around. Hicks sent O'Neill back to his regular duties, then talked with Koza. "The fight's on. It's been a hell of an opening round."

"How's it going?" Koza asked.

"Bad news. It looks like your guy is winning."

* * *

Godzilla backed off a little after he managed to get up, avoiding a second blow from Gojira's tail. _"YAAAAAHHH!"_ He screeched as he lunged in again. Gojira took in a deep breath as his back spines glowed.

Godzilla never saw the blast of fire coming, and he wailed as it scorched him all over. He rolled the flames out and reared up in a rage. Gojira, smelling blood, prepared to let loose again. This time, the blast exploded the pavement as Godzilla leaped onto a nearby building and then into another street. Gojira let loose a long blast then, scything through buildings in an attempt to cut Godzilla down, but the lizard had broken into a run, barely outrunning the blast until Gojira stopped. Godzilla crossed more buildings and climbed a tall one overlooking the street Gojira was still on. With a deep breath he unleashed his own flame. Propelled by the heavy winds of his exhale, the jet of heat created a wall of fire that upended abandoned cars and detonated their fuel tanks as it traveled down the road.

Gojira marched on down the road, undaunted, right into the wall of flame. _"EEEEEEEEEEUNGH!"_ He roared as the flames seared him, but he pressed on through the blast, emerging on the other side singed and smoking, but still in fighting shape. _"YYAAAAAHHHH_HHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRNNGH!" He roared, now absolutely pissed. He inhaled again, then sent a long range blast at the building Godzilla was perched on. Godzilla leaped off just before the top of the building was blown off, then sped off downtown, looking for another route to attack. Gojira turned off the street and pursued Godzilla at an angle, mowing down structures big and small in an attempt to cut off his foe.

As the monsters moved, the ground forces in the area scrambled to get out of their way. They hadn't done any fighting at all and were still losing men and machines to collateral damage. The Harriers and Apaches had to keep reacquiring their targets as they moved to new observation positions, and the Japanese F-15s, now just arriving at nearby airfields, were planning to crisscross the area from high above, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

* * *

"Why does his back light up when he's about to shoot that heat ray of his?" Chapman asked.

"We're not sure, but we think he collects nucleons through his spine to power his flame blast." Takashima said.

"Well, however it works, it's impressive." Tatopolous said. "If Godzilla hadn't ducked that second time, he'd have been smoked lizard."

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Hicks asked. "There's gotta be some way to slow him down to give the little guy a breather!"

"There have been tactics that worked to slow him down," Koza said, "but Gojira is more a force of nature than a living creature. Nothing man can do will slow him for very long, and many of the tactics might distract Godzilla as well, defeating the purpose. I'm afraid that Godzilla is on his own."

"You really believe that? Well, I think he's just an animal, not some living hurricane! And any animal can be trapped or killed! So maybe tactics against Gojira will work against Godzilla, too. Well if that's the case, maybe the reverse is true!" Hicks got on the radio. "Command to all units! Assault Target Two! Execute Plan Quicksand, Now Now _Now!"_

* * *

Several contingency plans had been worked up in case a second Godzilla or some other mutation reached American shores. The Army and Marines now set up to execute the one codenamed "Quicksand". The scout helicopters immediately relayed fast target information to the available ground units, and soon the Multiple Launch Rocket System Vehicles were firing dozens of intermediate range missiles with high-explosive and cluster munition warheads.

Gojira noticed the missiles coming as he advanced. So, the little things thought they could hurt him again, eh? When would they learn? He would take the impacts, then deal with the launchers as he pleased.

Had he been human, he might have laughed when he noticed that the missiles were falling just a few meters short of hitting him...and he would have been just as unprepared when he realized that they were doing what they were _supposed_ to do.

The missiles detonated with an earth-shattering multiple explosion, blasting a hole in the pavement and building foundations just ahead of Gojira's feet. The rest of the infrastructure collapsed around the impact point, causing Gojira to lose his footing. _"EEEEEEEEEEEEGHH!"_ He screamed as fell into the man-made pit. He landed hard in the pit, lost his balance and toppled forward, crushing buildings and leveling more streets in the process. Before he could right himself the Apaches and Harriers swooped in, loosing their Mavericks and Hellfires. Gojira was pelted with anti-armor weapons, and just to add insult to injury some Apaches aimed 30mm rockets at his eyes.

* * *

In his command center, Hicks smiled at the pictures they were receiving. The others just looked on in awe, especially Koza, who thought: _Why the hell didn't _we_ ever think of that?? We could have trapped him and just let the Super-X pound him into the ground!_

Takashima threw a damper on the occasion. "You're not killing him."

"I didn't intend to." Hicks said. "All I needed was to stop his advance, and for however long we keep him in that ditch, Godzilla has some breathing room."

"This was one of your anti-Godzilla tactics?" Koza said.

"That's right. One of the first things we realized after we reviewed our action against the first Godzilla was that most of the weapons we used weren't suited to the target we were chasing around, and those that were could only be brought to bear under extraordinary circumstances. MLRS rockets, for example, were wasted when we used them like bullets, so we created a tactic to use them the way they were meant to be used, as an area assault weapon."

Tatopolous thought about that for a minute, then said: "But, Colonel, this wouldn't have worked against Godzilla. I mean, as soon as he recovered from the shock..."

"He wouldn't have had time." Hicks said, a little peeved. "Remember, he's a lot more susceptible to missiles than the big guy here."

But now Takashima was curious. "What _could_ he have done, Nick?"

* * *

_"YYAAAAAAHHHHH_HHHRRRRRRRRRAAARRRRNNGH!" Gojira roared. He was done pissing around. He let loose with a fire blast and scythed it through the sky, blowing up any aircraft stupid enough to still be in the way. He blinked his eyes to clear away the flame and smoke and rolled over, pulling his legs out of the pit. He gained purchase on some semi-solid pavement and stood upright, then backhanded some nearby buildings into pebbles in a fury. First, he'd find the little things and punish them, then he'd find that little lizard thing and finish this once and for all. He rampaged on until he reached a street where there were some Army vehicles. He started down the street to crush them under his heels.

Unfortunately, he didn't notice that the street behind him was cracking, and the end of the crack was headed right for him.

He was about to plant his foot on the tanks and Humvees when he heard pavement breaking and a muffled _"HHHHRRRRAAAAAAHHHNGH!"_. Then he was hit with searing pain as something slashed into his back and what felt like a thousand needles clamped onto the base of his tail!

Godzilla had him! The smaller creature clamped down on that tail and pulled, determined to drag his foe out of his home. His claws dug deep into the giant's flesh, drawing blood for the first time in the contest.

Strong as he was, Gojira couldn't walk normally dragging all that weight. He whipped his tail up as hard as he could, lacerating it all over but freeing it from his enemy's jaws. That didn't stop Godzilla, who used his two handholds to draw himself up on Gojira's back. Soon he was climbing, hand over hand over foot, until he was piggybacked on the rampaging beast. He raised his head up and opened his jaws, and with a piercing _"AAAAAAAAHHH_HHHRRNGH!" he sank his teeth into Gojira's neck!

_"YAAAAAAAAAHHHRRRNGH!"_ Gojira wailed as he twisted his neck, slashed at his back, and even shot a fire blast aimlessly as he tried to get the lizard off of him, but Godzilla stayed on, digging his claws and teeth deeper and deeper into Gojira's skin. Finally the giant fell on his back, trying to scrape the lizard off, but Godzilla held on still, letting his stronger back spines take the brunt of the impact.

* * *

"He's gonna rip fat boy to shreds!" Chapman said, elated. "I guess the only thing left to say about your 'force of nature' is _Boo-yah_!!"

Takashima was less sure. "You're forgetting Gojira's regenerative abilities. Gojira Cells are highly adaptive to adverse conditions. That's why he has survived so many battles. Those wounds are not permanent. They'll heal once Gojira shakes off Godzilla, doubly quick if he gets a power boost."

"From what?" Chapman said. "What, is he _rechargeable_ or something?"

"Something like that."

* * *

Finally Gojira got a good grip on Godzilla. He doubled over as he pulled, flipping the lizard off his back and tossing him down the street. Godzilla landed in a heap a hundred meters away, bringing down two buildings as he skidded to a stop.

Gojira breathed heavily, recovering from his ordeal and letting his rage build. He was done with this city, the little things in it, but especially the ugly, gangly, annoying little upstart that kept trying to kill him over it. The anger rose to a crescendo, ready to explode at any time.

At that moment, a massive peal of thunder sounded, drawing the monsters' attention. Suddenly Gojira was struck with a devastating lightning bolt. The electricity coursed through his system, giving him a second wind. Godzilla watched from afar as the wounds he inflicted started to close up. Blood stopped flowing, sinews healed, scales reformed, and Godzilla knew, right then and there, that he'd no longer be fighting for territory. He'd be fighting for his very survival.

_"YYAAAAAHHHHHH_HHHHRRRRRAAAAARRRRRNGH!" Gojira roared, screaming his declaration of victory to the heavens. He felt renewed, invigorated, ready to conquer the world! Here he would attack the upstart and kill him, sending him to Hell for good.

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH_RRRRRRRRRRNGHH!" Godzilla answered, surprising his adversary. He wasn't beaten yet, and he had no intention of losing his life to this outsider. Now that he knew he simply had to survive, his course was clear. He simply needed to attack until he no longer could. With that decided, he sped toward his adversary.

Gojira reared back and let loose his most powerful blast yet. It hit where Godzilla _was_. The smaller monster had taken a huge leap forward. Gojira tried to track him with the flame, but the lizard fell and rolled, sprang up and leaped again, using buildings and rubble as springboards.

Finally, one more bound carried him to Gojira. He rolled his body so that his back spines pointed right at the giant. When Gojira tried to knock him away, he slashed his arm on the bony protrusions, cutting himself deeper than any other monster before. He wailed at the pain, then tried to strike with his other arm, but Godzilla had moved quickly on landing, and a twist of his back sank the spines deep into the other arm.

Godzilla maneuvered and moved in, slashing his claws into Gojira's belly. The attack was desperate, frantic, but for the first time Godzilla was driving his quarry back. He knew he had to act faster. He could see and sense the wounds healing. He leaped up and flipped forward, slashing the spines down Gojira's torso. Gojira squealed with pain and rage and tried to grab the lizard and throttle him, but his cuts weren't healing fast this time, and the wounds were making him too slow.

Godzilla backed off and leaped again, the exact same way, then rose up and made the spine cuts deeper with his claws. He was slicing through as much flesh as possible, pouring on the damage. One more leap and he was scaling Gojira's front, digging in with his hands and feet. Gojira finally got a grip and tossed the lizard down to the road, but before he could deliver a crushing blow, Godzilla recovered and dodged, then threw himself spines-first at the giant again. When he landed this time, he stayed on his back, whipped his tail around Gojira's foot and yanked with all his might.

_"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGHHH!"_ Gojira screamed as he fell back, landing with the force of an earthquake on the pavement. He almost made it up, but Godzilla rushed forward, walking on top of the massive creature until he could reach Gojira's chest with his claws. Godzilla shot his neck forward with his jaw unhinged. Gojira had no idea what was happening until Godzilla's jaw slammed shut...around his _snout!_

He wanted to breath fire but Godzilla beat him to it, and the blast of fire directly to the face elicited a muffled scream of agony. It was just a distraction. While he breathed, Godzilla found Gojira's chest with his claws and began to burrow. Gojira howled and flailed as the lizard stripped away flesh, muscle, fat, _bone_, going through the chest of the creature the way he would dig through solid rock. Soon Gojira's ribcage was completely exposed, and when Godzilla felt pure bone, he got a grip and pulled away pieces with brute force.

He finally released Gojira's snout, and the monster howled piteously. He was mad with pain, but had no time to do anything about it, because Godzilla's mouth moved only a little farther down.

Gojira moaned as the mouth sank into the opening, then choked when it sunk into a vital organ. Godzilla pulled out Gojira's heart, relishing the taste, as he tossed back his head and let it go down his throat. He went back in for more, making Gojira twitch as he chewed through lungs, stomach and organs no one could figure out. He ate until the part he exposed was nearly hollowed out, lifting his head only to see his enemy's death throes.

Never, never in his history had Gojira been so thoroughly beaten, so wounded, so unable to recover. His body whipped around uncontrollably, his mouth opened and closed with no noise, no fire, no action at all. His eyes had already rolled back in his head, and with one final jerk, the rest of him went limp.

Godzilla held his position, watching over the body, making sure it wasn't playing dead. It could heal itself, after all. He looked up into the rainy sky, waiting for another bolt to come down and help the giant, but none were forthcoming.

* * *

In the Command Center, Chapman and Takashima watched the ugly scene with their hands over their mouths. Tatopolous was in the latrine, throwing up. Koza turned away, not knowing what to feel. Only Hicks managed to maintain his composure. He'd already seen the corpse of the first Godzilla up close after twelve missiles had gutted it, so the devastation was not something that shocked him. Besides, they'd gotten what they wanted.

* * *

With a final sniff, Godzilla was sure Gojira was dead. He continued forward until he was over the corpse's head and on the ruined street. He raised up to his full height and got his bearings, then bent down and finished what he'd started. He hooked his claws into the giant's shoulders and, with step after tortuous step, he walked, dragging the body with him.

The trip was long, especially backward, and more buildings were destroyed along the way, since Godzilla was taking a direct route, but at long last he brought the heavy body to the Eastern Shore of the island. The East River was waiting, and Godzilla made a path through the FDR to reach it. Then he grabbed the body again, pulled backward to the edge, then fell in backwards, taking Gojira with him. He let the body sink into the water, leaving it to decompose in peace. He then swam under the Williamsburg Bridge and climbed up one of the supports.

He left the water and went all the way to the top, looking out over the island that he had proven belonged to him and him alone. He looked out over the river, giving one last thought to the one being he'd ever had to worry about taking it from him.

_Big, dumb, seafood. "__**EEE**__AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH_HHHHRRRRRRARRRRNNGH!!"

Godzilla was _triumphant!_

* * *

Hicks was about to make sure the victory celebration was short-lived. "Command to all units. Prepare to Assault Target One on my mark. Execute Plan 'Lights Out', Now Now--"

"Wait!!" The three scientists yelled in unison.

"Excuse me?" Hicks said. "Wasn't this the whole point of this title match?"

"Colonel," Tatopolous said, "just look at him."

Hicks looked. "He's just sitting there. So?"

"That's the point, Colonel." Chapman said. "He's defended his territory. He's not rampaging through it. He's not trying to lay eggs or kill your soldiers. He wanted to protect his home. He's done that. Let's not antagonize him anymore and see what he does."

"But we can't let him go!" Koza said. He was ready to call in the F-15s to assist.

"Yes we can," Takashima said, "and I think we must. You know as well as I do, Colonel, that even when we've thought Gojira dead and gone he's managed to reincarnate himself as a new terror. Wouldn't it be better to let live the one monster that might stop be able to stop him the next time he shows up, especially if that monster seems to mean no harm to anything else?"

The three of them looked at Hicks and Koza, pleading with their eyes. The two officers looked back, then at each other, each man reading the other's thoughts:

_Scientists!_

"Command to all units," Hicks radioed, "Stand by..."

* * *

Godzilla found a nice, quiet cove in the East River to call his own and made a nest there. He would feed off the nearby corpse of Gojira for a while before needing to hunt for food in the ocean. The City of New York set aside buildings in the Warehouse District to form a Mutation Watch Center, to be headed by Nick Tatopolous and Elsie Chapman and staffed by people of their choosing. Kimiko Takashima was the first to accept an invitation to work with them, and their first task was to figure out how to monitor Godzilla's movements at all times. Chances were that he would lead them to any other monsters that might show their heads. Colonel Ichiburo Koza returned to Japan with copies of Hicks's plans and some modifications he made of his own. He was already coming up with unique ideas to combat many of Japan's other famous unwanted guests.

* * *

Hicks and the scientists made one last trip to the island Godzilla had been raised on so that Tatopolous and Chapman could gather their equipment and move it to the new research facility. Takashima looked around while the others packed.

"There is an island similar to this near the Home Islands." She said to them. "We've managed to keep it secret. Its called Monster Island. You two would love it there. All manner of mutations to poke and prod."

"Like what?" Chapman said.

"Oh, like a Pteranodon the size of a passenger liner." Takashima chuckled.

"No way. A pteranodon that big could never fly."

"Yes, way, and he could carry off your Godzilla like a hawk grabbing a mouse."

"Really? Would you care to make a friendly wager on that, _Doctor_ Takashima?"

As he listened, Nick Tatopolous realized that his fiancee Audrey had been right. He never thought his life could be this exciting.

* * *

**Final Author's Note: **I know a lot of you are disappointed by the ending, but I stick by what I wrote.

Here's how I see it. Take a sumo wrestler, put him in protective gear and give him a flamethrower, and he's a bad mamma-jamma...until you put him in a ring with a rabid pit bull that knows instinctively: "Fire Bad, Get out of way". The first time the sumo wrestler misses a shot with the flame thrower, he's f***ed.

New Godzilla is the pit bull, Old Godzilla is the sumo wrestler. Yes, OG has a bad flamethrower, but a lot of his opponents don't go down the first time they get hit by it, and NG has lots of ways to dodge lots of stuff.

New Godzilla beats Old Godzilla. End of story.


End file.
